Pericarditis differential diagnosis

Pericarditis Microchapters
Home
Patient Information
Overview
Historical Perspective
Classification
Pathophysiology
Causes
HIV
Post MI
Dressler's syndrome
Post-pericardiotomy
Radiation
Tuberculosis
Uremia
Malignancy
Differentiating Pericarditis from other Diseases
Epidemiology and Demographics
Screening
Natural History, Complications and Prognosis
Pericardial Effusion
Cardiac Tamponade
Constrictive Pericarditis
Diagnosis
Diagnostic Study of Choice
History and Symptoms
Physical Examination
Laboratory Findings
Electrocardiogram
X-ray
Echocardiography and Ultrasound
CT scan
MRI
Other Imaging Findings
Other Diagnostic Studies
Treatment
Medical Therapy
Surgery
Pericardiocentesis
Pericardial Window
Pericardial Stripping
Treatment Related Videos
Primary Prevention
Secondary Prevention
Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy
Future or Investigational Therapies
Case Studies
Case #1
Pericarditis differential diagnosis On the Web
Most recent articles
Most cited articles
Review articles
CME Programs
Powerpoint slides
Google Images
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Pericarditis differential diagnosis All Images X-rays Echo & Ultrasound CT Images MRI
Ongoing Trials at Clinical Trials.gov
US National Guidelines Clearinghouse
NICE Guidance
FDA on Pericarditis differential diagnosis
CDC on Pericarditis differential diagnosis
Pericarditis differential diagnosis in the news
Blogs on Pericarditis differential diagnosis
Directions to Hospitals Treating Type page name here
Risk calculators and risk factors for Pericarditis differential diagnosis

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Pericarditis differential diagnosis

Many other conditions produce signs and symptoms similar to those produced by pericarditis. Keep in mind that pericarditis might also be one of the following: "part of a generalized disease", "apparently isolated", or "part of a disease that affects a nearby organ", and "sometimes is the presenting syndrome of multiple diseases."

Key Signs & Symptoms to Differentiate Pericarditis:

1. Pain on the trapezius ridge(s), is a pathognomonic of pericarditis. Often pain can radiate mimicking pain that is commonly felt during angina.
2. Central pleuritic chest pain (can also be indicative of pleurisy; however, may be both)
3. Pain that lasts longer, is sharper and unresponsive to vasodilator therapy (similar "to that of cardiac ischemia")
4. Most acute pericarditis ECGs are similar to ECGs of ischemic heart disease rather than infarction
5. Pulmonary embolism can present similarly to pericarditis, but can be differentiated from pericarditis in the presence of one of the following findings: a nonspecifically altered ECG, a plerual rub, and non-precordial (someitmes precordial pain is present regardless).

Differential Diagnosis of Causes of Acute Pericarditis

• Actinomycosis
• Acute idiopathic pericarditis
• Acute rheumatic fever
• Adenovirus
• Addison's crisis
• Amyloidosis
• Amebiasis
• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Aortic dissection
• Behcet's Disease
• Borrelia
• Breast cancer
• Chylopericardium
• Coxsackie A
• Coxsackie B
• Cytomegalovirus
• Dermatomyositis
• Dermatosclerosis
• Dressler's Syndrome
• EBV
• ECHO virus
• Echinococcosis
• Familial Mediterranian Fever
• Francisella
• HIV
• Infectious mononucleosis
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Influenza virus
• Legionella
• Leukemia
• Lung cancer
• Lymphoma
• Meningococci
• Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
• Mumps virus
• Mycoplasma infection
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae
• Perforated esophagus
• Pneumococci
• Polyarteritis Nodosa
• Polymyositis
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Reiter's Syndrome
• Radiation therapy
• Renal Failure
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Rickettsia
• Sarcoidosis
• Scleroderma
• Serum sickness
• Staphylococci
• Streptococci
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
• Thorax trauma
• Treponema pallidum
• Toxoplasmosis
• Tuberculosis
• Uremia
• Varicella virus
• Wegener's granulomatosis
• Whipple's Disease